Fiona McKinnon of Galway Hospice and Roy Gibson of Advertees checking the quality of the hundreds of Memorial Walk tee-shirts already ordered.

GALWAY Hospice will hold its 12 th annual Galway Memorial Walk on Sunday, September 10. This year’s Memorial Walk will begin at 12 noon from Claddagh Hall to Blackrock and return - a total distance of 6.5km. The Memorial Walk is Galway Hospice’s biggest fundraising event of the year and since its inception in 2006, the event has raised over €1.7 million to help maintain essential hospice services.

Those who take part in the Memorial Walk do so in memory of a deceased family member, friend or work colleague, with many participants wearing the name of their loved one on specially personalised t-shirts provided by the hospice. Those wishing to take part in this year’s Memorial Walk must register in advance. The closing date for participants requiring personalised t-shirts is Friday 25th August. It would be preferable if people would register online through the Galway Hospice website at www.galwayhospice.ie Galway Hospice is asking everyone to register even if they have done so in the past.

“The Galway Memorial Walk has become a very special and unique annual event for the people of Galway city and county,” said Michael Craig, Fundraising Manager at Galway Hospice. “What people remark on most of all is how personal and uplifting the event is for them. It is truly a celebration of life, honouring deceased family members and friends in a uniquely personal yet public manner.”

The Memorial Walk allows participants to celebrate the lives of their loved ones, while simultaneously helping others in their final days. Proceeds from the Galway Memorial Walk go towards funding the Galway Hospice Home Care and Day Care services. Each year, Galway Hospice must raise in the region of €1.8 million to ensure the provision of Home Care, Day Care and Bereavement Support services.

Without the continuing generosity of the people of Galway, these services would simply cease to exist. Mr. Craig added; “A major emphasis of hospice services is to support patients in their own homes, for as long as possible. Hospice staff made 7,237 ‘Hospice at Home’ visits in 2016, and there were 1,324 attendances to Day Care for a range of therapeutic treatments, as well as medical and nursing assessments. Sadly, in recent years, a number of bogus collectors have been going door to door claiming to be collecting for Galway Hospice. We urge the public to be vigilant and to only subscribe to someone they know.” He continued, “The hospice discourages people from sponsoring anyone they do not know and as a safety precaution, Galway Hospice sponsorship cards have a foil hologram on the front of them in order to legitimise the cards.”